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OCEAN GUARDIAN REVALIDATION INFORMATION
Protecting the U.S. EEZ and key areas of the high seas is an important mission for the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard enforces fisheries laws at sea, as tasked by the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA). Our fisheries priorities are, in order of importance:
1. Protecting the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone from foreign encroachment: The MSFCMA of 1976 extended U.S. fisheries management authority out to the full 200 miles authorized by international law. The U.S. EEZ is the largest in the world, containing 3.4 million square miles of ocean and 90,000 miles of coastline. Foreign fishers operating illegally in this area are, effectively, stealing resources from the U.S., and our fisheries managers have no way of measuring or accounting for this loss.
2. Enforcing domestic fisheries law: U.S. Domestic Fisheries support a $24 billion dollar industry. Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), to ensure the sustainability of these fisheries are developed by regional Fisheries Management Councils, each of which have a non-voting Coast Guard member. The Coast Guard is responsible for enforcing these FMPs at sea, in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries enforcement ashore. In addition to FMP enforcement, we enforce laws to protect marine mammals and endangered species.
3. International fisheries agreements: Realizing that fish do not recognize national boundaries, the Coast Guard works closely with the Department of State to develop and enforce international fisheries agreements. Most notably, the Coast Guard enforces the United Nations High Seas Driftnet Moratorium in the North Pacific, where illegal driftnetters may catch U.S. origin salmon.
OCEAN GUARDIAN: The Coast Guard Fisheries Enforcement Strategic Plan
International Agreements Concerning Living Marine Resources of Interest to NOAA Fisheries
Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Program
Coast Guard Regional Fisheries Training Centers: Southeast | Gulf | Pacific Area Training Team | Northeast
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